US: New energy bill allots $290 million for MHK development

The United States Senate has approved the energy policy modernization bill which authorizes new marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) R&D programs and allocates $290 million for MHK energy research over the next five years.

The bill, proposed by senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Chairwoman of the Senate Energy Committee, and Maria Cantwell of Washington, was passed by a vote of 85 to 12.

The Energy Policy Modernization Act, amongst others, contains provisions to enhance energy savings, facilitate the modernization of the electric grid, and promote the development of renewable energy.

When it comes to MHK energy, the new bill includes programs to assist technology development to improve the components, processes, and systems used for power generation from these renewable energy resources.

It proposes the establishment of critical testing infrastructure necessary to cost effectively and efficiently test and prove marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy devices, and to accelerate the technological readiness and commercialization of those devices, as well as identifying and studying critical short- and long-term needs to create a sustainable MHK renewable energy supply chain based in the United States.

The bill also endorses programs to identify opportunities for joint research and development between MHK renewable energy technologies and other renewable energy and fossil energy programs, as well as in-water technology development with international partners using existing cooperative procedures.

Under the ‘National marine renewable energy research, development, and demonstration centers’ section of the bill, it is stated that the center, in cooperation with the Energy Department and National Laboratories, will support in-water testing and demonstration of MHK energy technologies, including facilities capable of testing MHK renewable energy systems of various technology readiness levels and scales, a variety of technologies in multiple test berths at a single location, and arrays of technology devices.

The new bill has amended the appropriations of funds for MHK development, allocating $55 million for each of fiscal years 2017 and 2018, and $60 million for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2021, bringing the total funding for MHK technologies to $290 million over the next five years.